


Truth Be Told

by Serena_A



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Bisexual Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Coming Out, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Jealous Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Kissing, M/M, Sexual Identity, Sexual Tension, Swordfighting, overprotective Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serena_A/pseuds/Serena_A
Summary: “You’re not my bloody boyfriend!!!”“Well, what if I want to be?!?”
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 488
Collections: The Melee Challenge, Truth one-shots





	Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Round 2 (January 17-23, 2021) of the [Merlin Fic Server](https://discord.gg/smJtaUcdP8) [Melee Challenge](https://merlin-fic-server.tumblr.com/post/639147482929119232/happy-new-year-from-merlin-fic-server-beginning) with prompt #3: “Challenge”
> 
> Part 2 of [_The Bare Truth_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527789), kind of. (This and the previous one-shot are bits of a fic I may or may not finish writing.)

Merlin’s reckless disregard for his own well-being was driving Arthur insane.

When Merlin wasn’t getting sloshed at uni parties and flirting outrageously with men of dubious moral character—

_“He's shifty, Merlin.”_

_“Explain.”_

_“Well, he’s just—he’s too—you can tell that he—”_

_“That he what, Arthur?”_

_“You know! Intends to... impugn your virtue.”_

_“Bold of you to assume I have any virtue left to impugn.”_

—he was going on blind dates with potential serial killers—

_“I'm just saying, Merlin, what do you really know about this guy?”_

_“I told you, he's a friend of Gwen's. Will you relax? You’ve been acting weird.”_

_“Ok, but hear me out—what do you really know about_ Gwen _?”_

_“I'm hanging up now.”_

—or, in this particular instance, challenging a mean-looking bloke twice his size to a bloody _duel_.

“You can’t be serious, Merlin.”

“Do I look like I'm having you on?”

No, he didn’t. Merlin looked dead serious as secured the leather straps of his gauntlets and tested his grip around the hilt of his sword. It was actually kind of intimidating. (And extremely hot, if Arthur was being completely honest.)

Looking around him Arthur saw that the audience had dispersed, and the different clubs that had participated in the historical martial arts demonstrations were packing up their gear and getting ready to leave. But a small group of men still kitted out in full armor were standing around, and at the center was a large bloke who was talking loudly and shooting daggers at Merlin from across the pitch.

Arthur squinted, the sun getting in his eyes. “Is that whatsisname? Valiant? From that awful Student Tories society you wrote about in _The Chronicle _?”__

“Yeah,” Merlin said, rolling his eyes. “When I went to interview him he was wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Fuck the NHS’ and told me that coming out as a conservative was harder than coming out as gay, and somehow he’s surprised that the article was less than flattering.”

Arthur smiled in spite of himself. It seemed like Merlin made new enemies on a weekly basis through his column in the student paper, but Arthur admired how dedicated and fearless Merlin was in writing about controversial topics, despite the backlash he faced both online and on campus. He was going to make an amazing journalist someday, though in Arthur’s opinion he already was.

“How worried do I need to be about him sticking you with the pointy end of that thing?" Valiant was tall and beefy, and he looked like he could deal some heavy blows. Arthur knew Merlin was stronger than he looked (he still couldn’t stop thinking about the toned muscles of Merlin’s bare chest and shoulders), but still.

Merlin shrugged. “He trains with the Essetir BFHS, but he’s more of a pompous cosplayer than a serious practitioner. I can take him.”

Arthur crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Merlin. He respected that Merlin never backed down from a fight, but honestly he thought that Merlin could at least consider it once in a while.

“I have done this before, you know,” Merlin said defensively, irritation creeping into his voice. “I’m quite good at it.”

“Yeah, in a controlled environment! With instructors and judges and _rules_. That bloke has it in for you and he does _not_ look like he gives a shit about the bloody rules.”

Valiant was striding back and forth on the field, making a show of swinging his sword around in what he probably thought was an intimidating fashion. His mates cheered.

“I’d be touched by your concern if I weren’t insulted that you thought _that_ was a threat.” Merlin made a face as he observed Valiant’s peacocking. “Ugh, sloppy. He tends to turn his front foot inward when he lunges; it throws off his alignment and diminishes the strength and point-control of his attacks. This’ll be over in a minute, tops.”

He patted Arthur’s shoulder with his gloved hand as if to reassure him, flashed him a dazzling smile, then trotted out onto the pitch.

It took more than a minute, though not by much, and mostly because Valiant took his time making a big production of circling Merlin menacingly before actually making a move.

Merlin stood at the ready in a fool’s guard, which, on the surface, was the least threatening of the starting positions, but it poised Merlin to attack from a wide variety of angles. Arthur couldn’t see Merlin’s face, but he imagined that beneath the helmet his friend's expression was almost bored.

Valiant lunged forward with an overhand attack. Merlin sidestepped smoothly, his sword steady, not falling for the faked opening that Valiant had given him. Valiant swung his arms up in a quick overhead strike, which Merlin deflected effortlessly. Valiant surged at Merlin intending to tackle him, but was forced to slow his momentum when Merlin moved aside with easy, cat-like grace.

Arthur knew Merlin had been training with the longsword for years, but it was sometimes still hard to believe that Merlin—awkward, clumsy Merlin, who stumbled down the stairs and regularly spilled his tea down his shirt—was capable of such finesse.

Valiant might have expected to dominate through sheer brute force, but he hadn’t counted on Merlin’s speed and stamina. Valiant hammered away, growing increasingly aggressive as Merlin blocked, swung, and struck. He ducked, feinted and dodged, tiring his opponent out. Valiant began to slow; Merlin looked like he could do this all day.

Merlin pressed his advantage and launched into a lightning-quick assault. Arthur’s ears rang with the brutal clangs and crashes of tempered steel as Merlin beat Valiant back, step by step. Valiant was faltering, but Merlin was relentless, and it wasn’t long before he dealt the blow that knocked Valiant’s sword from his grip.

Valiant stumbled backwards and fell on his arse, his sword clattering some distance away. Merlin swung his blade high, coming down in an axe-splitting strike, slowing and stopping to barely ding on Valiant’s pauldron.

Arthur hadn't realize he’d been holding his breath; he let it out with a triumphant whoop, pumping his fist in the air. He was drowned out by the crowd that had gathered at the sidelines. Arthur saw Leon and Elyan among them across the pitch, clapping and cheering for Merlin.

Merlin kept his sword pointed at Valiant on the ground as he removed his helmet.

Arthur’s breath hitched in his chest at the sight of Merlin's wild curls catching in the wind, his graceful form lit by the setting sun. It must’ve been a trick of the light, but Merlin’s blue eyes seemed to glow a burnished gold. He looked almost ethereal, a creature of myth, dangerous and beautiful.

Merlin regarded Valiant with a cool, appraising look that said, _you have been weighed, measured, and found wanting_ before walking away. Valiant was positively livid, his face purple with rage as he scrambled to his feet, retrieved his sword, and stalked after Merlin with his weapon raised.

Arthur’s instincts took over and he stepped in. He caught Valiant’s blade with his own and shook his head. “I don’t think so, mate,” he said, a silent warning tucked behind his otherwise amiable tone.

At that point the crowd had started to disperse, and Valiant seemed to decide it wasn’t worth it without an audience. With a final sneer at Arthur, then at Merlin, Valiant stomped off to join his friends.

Arthur whirled around with a huge grin on his face, one that Merlin did not return.

“What the hell was that?” Merlin’s voice was low and his expression cross.

Arthur blinked at the unexpected hostility. “I was just trying to help. He was going to—”

“Yes, I was ready for that,” Merlin cut in impatiently. “In case you haven’t been paying attention, I’m more than capable of defending myself.”

“Of course you are, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look out for you—”

It was as though the last strands of Merlin’s fraying patience finally snapped.

“Arthur, what is with you lately? You’ve been even more of an insufferable prat than usual!” Merlin yelled in exasperation. “Someone so much as _breathes_ in my general direction and you’re all up in my fucking face! What is this overprotective bullshit? You’re not my bloody boyfriend!!!”

“Well, what if I want to be?!?” Arthur yelled back without thinking. He regretted it immediately, and the shock on his best friend’s face made him wish the ground would open up and swallow him whole. They stared at each other, each one frozen where they stood.

“Don't,” Merlin warned when he recovered. He took an ominous step forward and pointed the tip of his sword at Arthur’s chest. “Don’t you fucking joke about that.”

“I’m not joking, Merlin.”

“You’re _straight_.” Merlin kept his sword pointed at Arthur but his eyes were wary and his voice wobbled with uncertainty.

Arthur scrunched up his face. _Here we go._ “I, uhm, I’m bi, actually.”

It felt strange to finally say it out loud, but it felt good. It felt _right_.

“You’re _what_?!?”

“I’m bi,” Arthur repeated. As if the concept needed further explanation, he added, “I'm also attracted to men. I like cock. Yours, specifically—”

Merlin made a strangled noise in his throat and nearly dropped his sword.

“Oh my god. You can’t just _say_ things like that to me! This whole time—I tried not to— _What the hell, Arthur?!?_ ”

Arthur cringed at Merlin's escalating volume; he was sure they could hear him all the way to the Western Isles. “Look, this is news to me too, alright? It took me a while to figure it out. And this wasn’t exactly how I intended to tell you, but—”

“Oh my god this is why you’ve been _cockblocking_ me?!?”

There was a sudden clash of steel. Arthur barely reacted in time.

***  
Leon and Elyan stood at the edge of the pitch, the equipment they were supposed to gather and load into the van forgotten, as they watched Merlin and Arthur attempt to murder each other.

Merlin snarled as he threw his shield aside, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and swung savagely at Arthur.

Leon and Elyan both winced. Arthur had blocked the blow with his blade, but barely.

“I felt that,” Leon gripped his own shoulder unconsciously, as if the reverberations of the impact trembled in his muscles.

“Are you two just going to stand there?!” Gwen yelled as she ran across the pitch towards them. She punched her brother in the arm. “ _Do_ something before someone gets hurt!”

“I’m not getting involved in _that_ ,” protested Elyan, waving at the melee with the vambrace in his hand. “I don’t want the someone who gets hurt to be me!”

The force of the blow had Arthur stumbling backwards. It looked like Merlin was about to finish it, but as he raised his sword to strike again, Arthur swung out a leg and swept his feet from under him.

Gwen lifted her eyes heavenward as if to say, _God give me strength_. “That’s it, I’m calling emergency services.”

Merlin dropped to the ground, but without losing a beat he reached across the grass for his discarded shield and punched up with it, lighting fast, catching Arthur squarely in the face as he bent over him.

“ _Oww_.” Leon and Elyan flinched simultaneously.

Arthur was knocked flat on his back, stunned. Merlin rolled on top of him, the length of his forearm pressed across his throat, poised to crush his windpipe.

They glared at each other for a hot minute while Leon, Elyan, and Gwen held their breath.

“Hello, what’s your emergency?” said a voice from Gwen’s mobile.

Suddenly Arthur reached up and grabbed a fistful of Merlin’s dark curls and pulled him into a rough kiss.

“I—I’m sorry, I dialed the wrong number,” Gwen mumbled hastily into her mobile then hung up.

Merlin stiffened for a moment, and then sank onto Arthur’s chest, throwing aside his sword and taking Arthur’s face into both hands as he kissed him back fiercely.

Elyan gave a low whistle of appreciation.

“Well, I guess that’s one way to win a duel,” said Leon.

**Author's Note:**

> I fully intended for this to end in smut but I ran out of time to write it before the Melee deadline. To be continued!


End file.
